Jessica is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with extensive experience providing therapy to young children, adolescents, adults, and their families across a variety of settings. Jessica balances the use of individual, family and parent sessions to strengthen relationships in order to foster lasting change.

Treatment Approach

Jessica’s approach to therapy is to create a warm, nonjudgmental space that feels meaningful and engaging. Jessica works from a strengths-based model believing that individuals have the built-in resources needed to make meaningful changes when given a safe, supportive space to process and heal. In her sessions, she combines expressive therapies with parent-child dyadic work to support parents, caregivers and their children as they navigate through and find resilience within life’s challenges. These can include difficulties stemming from anxiety, depression, social barriers, family conflict, grief, ADHD, or disruptive behaviors. Her approach integrates creative modalities, including sand and play therapy interventions with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based techniques. She works with children, teens, and young adults to develop practical tools needed to enjoy meaningful relationships, adjust to change, handle conflict, make sense of their thoughts and emotions, and feel good about who they are.

In meeting with caregivers, Jessica focuses on helping them acknowledge and expand on their strengths, connect positively with their children, and feel empowered. With a special interest in the parent-child relationship, she is devoted not only to helping parents survive difficult parenting moments, but also supporting them in a way that lets their children thrive. Jessica has received training in play-based assessment and treatment models including Theraplay and Filial Family Therapy. She is also trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), an evidence-based treatment for children (2-7) experiencing challenges with aggression, defiance, emotional dysregulation and attachment difficulties.

Education

Jessica earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Biology from Indiana University- Bloomington and obtained a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Washington University.

Contact Information

Phone: 240-200-4096
Email: jessicar@jgatherapy.com
Address: 3930 Knowles Avenue, Suite 200, Kensington, MD 20895